Places Ive called home and why I like where I am now:
I grew up in Knoxville, Iowa. After graduation, I lived in San Diego, California and Jacksonville, Florida and was in the Navy. I also lived in Arkansas for a while. But for me, Iowa is my home. It's where I'm from and when I leave here, I always want to back come home! Is Iowa heaven? I think so!

When I started running and what got me started:
I started running in April, 2005. I could barely make it 2 miles and that was with numerous walks. I knew that I had gained some weight over the years, 60 pounds!!. A picture was taken of me at a co-workers retirement, I saw the pic and was so taken aback by how I looked. That day I knew I had to change everything. I haven't stopped running since! Goodbye 60 pounds, haven't seen you since!

What does running mean to me:
Running to means many things, but to sum it all up for me would be to say this; I run to remind myself who I am and what I'm made of. And, that the world is a huge realm of possibility and that if I want anything in life bad enough, nothing can stop me from getting it, nothing!

What I like about trail/mountain running:
The feeling of being a part of nature. The outdoors surrounds you while you're out. The weather, the smells, the wildlife, it all becomes part of the run, all of my senses become alive and my body feels like it's in sync with the earth.

Favorite running trail and why:
Lake Red Rock near Whitebreast Beach at Coal Port Ridge, Iowa. There's a short out and back trail that I used when I started running. It's wooded and slightly hilly. On a perfect day, you can smell the moss on the trees and the water off the lake. Everytime I run there, it's like the trail is waiting for me to arrive. The tree limbs dance on the breeze, the deer cross the trail head and I breathe in the trail.

Favorite trail/mountain race and why:
So cliche, of course its PPA and PPM! Are you kidding me, I'm from Iowa. I come all the way out here to Colorado to experience this every year! How could anyone not want to do this?

Best running experience:
Psycho Wycho 50k Kansas City, It was cold, 17 degress, snowing on and off. I was hurting a bit. I was on the last ten mile loop. Something came over me. I had heard about it but never experienced it, a feeling of euphoria. My body felt so weird for about the last 6 or 7 miles. I kept having this weird feeling someone was running beside me, like when your in a room and you feel like someone is watching you you know. I ended up reeling a few people in and finishing well. It was bizarre.

Worst running experience:
TIMTAM 50k, Ames, Iowa. Mile 29, Never had felt this way before, but I felt like I needed to puke badly!! I managed to stagger to the finish, it wasn't pretty though :(

Neatest thing found on a run:
I constantly find money i.e. change, clothes, spiral notebooks, dead animals, garbage of course (come on people), but the best thing I've found is one of those childrens magnetic drawing toys like an etch-a-sketch. I carried it home 9 miles to my daughter!

Running related bathroom stop story:
Dam to Dam 20k, Des Moines, Iowa, Just before the start, I had to pee bad, the Johns were full and people lined up, I went to the near by woods. WOW, I walked in about 20 feet to see a blanket of 30+ people squatting and standing, going to the bathroom. It would have made a cool picture actually! Maybe one of those motivational pics with the caption, "What ever you do, get going!"